Today’s portion is one verse-paragraph, lines 27-83, moving from Milton’s request ‘Say first…what cause’ – to the centre of the action, with Satan and the fallen angels about to begin their parley in Hell.
Line 29 sees the first mention of the word fall. My notes from the Broadbent book say fall means" to fall from or desert" in a political as well as theological sense. But to us readers fall has an ominous ring alerting us to the main theme of the poem, particularly as it is mentioned so early in the poem.
I am enjoying you reading the poem out aloud Jane!
thanks Colette, yes helpful to notice this word and its various ramifications. Also I am thinking about Satan and the rebel Angels fall being given a physical mode, whereas human falling is only moral/theological, yet the physical mode, sense of falling, is also present.
Line 29 sees the first mention of the word fall. My notes from the Broadbent book say fall means" to fall from or desert" in a political as well as theological sense. But to us readers fall has an ominous ring alerting us to the main theme of the poem, particularly as it is mentioned so early in the poem.
I am enjoying you reading the poem out aloud Jane!
thanks Colette, yes helpful to notice this word and its various ramifications. Also I am thinking about Satan and the rebel Angels fall being given a physical mode, whereas human falling is only moral/theological, yet the physical mode, sense of falling, is also present.